Vise assembly



' Nov. 4, 1947. A. T. FORTERFIELD VI SE ASSEMBLY Filed March 22., 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVEN TOR.

" A. P02 TERF/ELD.

BY AGE/v7.

Nov. 4, 1947. 1 A. T. PORTERFIELD 7 2,430,366

VIYSE ASSEMBLY v Filed March 22, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lh fz 1717 3 A. T Pox? TERF/ELD.

Patente d Nov. 4, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VISE ASSEMBLY A. '1. Porterfield, Wilmar Township, Los Angeles County, Calif.

Application March 22, 1945, Serial No. 584,154

4 Claims.

My invention relates to a vise whose two workengaging members are operatively connected to one another, not directly, as in the case of usual vises, but indirectly thru the medium of a third member.

An object and advantage is the provision, in my novel vise, of adaptability to work whose maximum jaw-flanked dimension, although beginning with the smallest and ranging thru the more frequently encountered ones, exceeds by many times the maximum jaw-flanked dimensions handled by Vises of conventional type and much larger and heavier than mine.

Another object and advantage, when the above referred to third member consists of the T-slotted base of a machine tool, made to function as the backbone of my Vise assembly, is the considerable saving in initial cost when compared with the cost of even the largest obtainable conventional vise.

A still further object and advantage resident in the above combination with a machine tool base or bed is the ease, the speed and the relative safety with which my vise assembly may be installed, handled and removed, all derivable from the small size and small weight of the vise components.

Additional objects and advantages manifest themselves thruout this description of the particular embodiment which was selected for clear and convenient exposition of the principles of the instant invention from a number of other conceivable embodiments that can and will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. This embodiment, a simple and typical vise assembly, is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an isometric view of said vise assembly, a special sub-base or sub-bed having been incorporated, intervening between the two jaws of the vise assembly, on the one hand, and the long, longitudinally T-slotted, regular base or bed of a machine tool, on the other hand.

Figure 2 is a partly sectional plan view from above of the two jaws of said vise assembly, the base or bed being removed.

Figure 3 is a side view of the above, only the relative position of the'base or bed being indicated.

In Figure 1, a machine tool of the class wherein a long, longitudinally T-slotted base constitutes a regular or standard component, conceivably a milling machine for example, is fragmentarily indicated by 48, said long base, provided with longitudinally extending T-slots 30 and 3|, being 2 indicated by IDA. Secured thereto, by means of said T-slots and of three bolts, 32, 33 and 34, and their respective nuts, 35, 3'! and 38, and of the corresponding fourth bolt and nut, not visible but indicated by 35 and 39, is the long, longitudinally T-slotted sub-base or sub-bed Ill, to whose T-slots, 49 and 50, are secured the workengageable sub-assembly I I and the work-engageable, base-securable member or jaw I2 by means of four sets of bolts and nuts, two of which sets being indicated by 42, 44 and 4|, 43, the two respective slots being indicated by ,25 and 21, the other two slots being indicated in Figure 2 by 26 and 28. Jaw I2 is provided with a replaceable face orface plate 24. Contributively constituting said sub-assembly II is the jawmount l3.

Referring to Figure 3, it will be seen how jaw l2 and sub-assembly H are secured to milling machine base IDA directly and without the medium of the intervening sub-base I!) that appears in Figure 1. Continuing to refer to Figures 1 and 3 and particularly to Figure 2, subassembly II is seen to comprise the three main members consisting of the already referred to base-securable jaw-mount-l3, the base-free jaw I5 and the base-free-jaw-engaging tightening screw 14, whose square-sectional end I! is adapted to engagement thereof by a wrench and whose helically threaded section is indicated by Hi. Jaw l2 and base IDA, or, alternately, sub-base l9, constitute the other two main members in the total of five main members which are regarded as mainly constituting the vise assembly.

Jaw-mount i3 is provided with the bore 46, alsoreferred to as a race, adapted to snugly receive therewithin and guide the hollow ram 45, fixed to the face or face plate 31, which two sections together constitute the functionally integral, already referred to base-free jaw l5, which may be originally integral or it may be constituted by Welding sections 45 and 4'! to one another. The interior wall defining the recess in ram 45 may be helically threaded, or, as shown in Figure 2, a non-therewith-integral internally disposed part, such as brass nut 2i, press-fitted therein and locked with a setscrew, threaded correspondingly to the helical thread of screw I4 for receiving it. An integral flange it receives the thrust on screw l4, bearing on the jawmount thru brass washer l9. Opposed to flange I8 is the collar 20 pinned to screw I 4 at 29. The plane of symmetry of sub-assembly H, which is also that of ram 45 and screw i4, is indicated by PS-PS. Although the liberal transverse dimension of the ram and a snug fit thereof in bore 46 condition, when the parts are new or have been newly adjusted, plane-of-symmetry-parallel travel of the ram when it is reciprocated or longitudinally displaced, additional guidance therefor is provided by the two plane-of-symmetryflanking guide elements or guide bolts 22 and 23, each thereof being screwed into face or face plate 41 and *slidable in a wall of the jaw-mount 4:3, the heads of the twobolts functioningas stops, abutting against said wall, whereby accidental disengagement of the base-free jaw l5 from the j aw-mount is precluded.

I claim:

1. A vise assembly including a plurality of .T slot-engaging bolts and at least five mainlmembers consisting of: a long, longitudinally T-slotted base provided with a plurality ofT-slots; a-thereof longitudinally adjustably disposable, /work+engageable, base-securable jaw; a work-engageable .base-free jaw; a base-securable jaw-mount adaptedto mount said base-free jaw in .a manner whereby adjustable displacement thereof maybe efi'ected relatively to said jaw-mount and longitudinally of said base; and a basevfree-jaw-en- .gaging tighteningscrew,axiallyin the plane .of symmetry of said jaw-mount and adapted to oneratively-intervene .between it candrsa-id base-free vjaw; each of the two said base-.securable members being adapted to securedby means ofsaid T-slots and said boltsto said base at any desired oneof a plurality of loci successively distributed longitudinally of said baseand independently of the locus of the other said base-securablememher.

-2. A vise assembly including a plurality of -T- slot-engaging bolts and at least five main members consisting of a long, longitudinally T-slotted base provided with a plurality of T-slots; a thereof longitudinally adjustably disposable, work-engageable, base-securable jaw; a work-engageable base-free jaw; a base-securable jaw-mount adapted to mount said base-free jaw in a manner whereby adjustable displacement thereof may be effected relatively to said jaw-mount and longitudinally of said base; and abase-free-jaw-engaging tightening screw, axially in the plane-of symmetry of said jaw-mount and adapted to operatively intervene between it andsaid base-free jaw; each of the two said base-securable members being adapted to be secured by means of .said -T-slots and said bolts to said base at any desired one of a plurality of loci successively distributed longitudinally-of said base and independently of the locus of the other said base-securable member; said base-free jaw mainly consisting of work-contacting face and'a thereto fixed hollow ram having a bore inside of which ther is an internal helical thread corresponding to the thread of said screw and adapted to receive it for said displacement of saidbase-free jaw; said jaw-mount being recessed to provide thereat a ram-receiving, ram-guiding race.

3. A vise assembly including a plurality of T- slot-engaging bolts and at least five main members consisting of a long, longitudinally T-slotted base provided with a plurality of T-slots; a thereof longitudinally adjustably disposable, work-engageable, base-securable jaw; a work-engageable base-free jaw; a base-securable jaw-mount adapted to mount said base-free jaw in a manner whereby adjustable displacement thereof may be eflected relatively to said jaw-mount and longitudinally of said base; and a base-free-jaw-engaging tightening screw, axially in the plane of ber; said base-free jaw mainly'consisting of a work-contacting face anda thereto-fixed hollow ram having a bore inside of which there is an .internal helical thread corresponding to the thread of said screw and adapted to receive it for-said displacement of said base-free jaw; said v ;.jaW-1nount being recessed to provide thereat a ram-receiving, ram-guidlng race; said base-free jaw and said jaw-mount being provided with at least two therebetween engaging, plane-of-symmetryaflanking guide elements for additionally directing said displacement.

4. A vise assembly including a plurality of T- slot-engaging bolts and at least five main members consisting of: a long, longitudinally T-slotted base provided with a plurality of Tslots; a thereof longitudinally adjustably disposable, work-engageable, base-securable jaw; a work-engageable base-free jaw; a base-securable jaw-mount adapted to mount said base-free, jaw in'a manner whereby adjustable-displacement thereof-may be efiected relatively to'said jaw-mount and longitudinally of said base; and a base-free-jaw-engaging tightening screw, axially in the plane of symmetry of said jaw-mount and adapted to operatively intervene between it-and said base-free jaw; each of the two said base-securable members being adapted to be secured'by'means of said T-slots and said bolts to said base at any desired one of a plurality of loci successively distributed longitudinally of said base and independently of the locus of the other said basesecurable member; said base-free jaw mainly consisting of a work-contacting face and a thereto fixed hollow ram having a bore inside of which ther is an internal helical thread corresponding to the thread of said screw and adapted to receive it for said displacement of said base-free jaw; said jaw-mount being recessed to provide thereat a, ram-receiving, ram-guiding race; said base-free jaw and said jaw-mount being provided with at least two therebetween engaging, planeof-symmetry-flanking guide bolts for additionally directing said displacement, each of said bolts being screwed into said face and slidable in a Wall of said jaw-mount in a manner whereby the head of said bolt functions as a stop, abutting against said wall.

A. T. PORTERFIELD,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of'thispatent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

